Civil War in Libya

[gaelic cowboy]

Would these purely strategic reasons have anything to do with Ireland's unwillingness to be a puppet fighting Britain's wars?

To some extent but mainly as a means to ensure the stability of the Republic certain groups could use the public outrage to topple the government.

Also the last of the Civil War generation are either very old or passed away by now, they would have never allowed Ireland to join a defence alliance with Britain not after fighting an independence war and a civil war over the very same.